Timing or patterning chain



1949 A. SHORTLAND TIMING OF PATTERNING CHAIN Filed March 15, 1947 a. l l

l afi z -ld r1 'rfi r1 I J Q 1% 9 1 3a 3 QuLz Sewew by Wax/ kg '9 Aye/z If Patented Nov. 15, 1949 2,4s'8i144 I TIMING on PATTERNING CHAIN Arthur Shortland, Leicester, England, assignor to Mellor Bromley & Co. Limited, Leicester, England Application March 13, 1947, Serial No. 734,343 In Great Britain March 20, 1946 7 Claims. (01. 66-156) It is known to employ for straight bar knitting machines a timing or patterning chain comprising a succession of transverseparallel bars to, which cams or studs are secured in a prearranged disposition which determines the timing sequence of various operations that the machine is required to perform. In general, each cam or stud is clamped on the bars by means of a clamping plate and one or more screws extending through said plate. into the stud or cam to grip a pair of bars or. one bar between the plate and the stud. This known arrangement has tion only of the bar. Alternatively, the inter the disadvantage that since the grip isentirely frictional, the studs are liable to move lengthwise of the bars to which they are attached, so as to become misplaced in the width of the chain. Another disadvantage is the fact that if each stud is clamped to two bars. the flexibility of the chain is restricted. One object of the present invention is a construction of timing or patterning chainwhich is free from these disabilities.

' As viewed from one aspect, the invention provides a timing or patterning chain, comprising .a succession of .transverse parallel bars hingedly connected in series at the margins of the chain, characterised by formations on said bars for positively anchoring studs or cams secured 'to them against displacement along them. As

viewed from anotheraspect,'the invention providesa timing or patterning chain comprising a succession of. transverse parallel bars hingedly connected in series for the reception thereon of studs or cams, characterised by formations on at least some of .the bars, and at a plurality of locations in the length of such bars, for positively anchoring studs or cams secured to the chain "bars againstdisplacement along the bars. The

abovementioned formations are preferably constit'u'tedby peripheral irregularities in the bars,

preferably by peripheral grooves in the bars.

These grooves in effect form keyways in which keys associated with the studs or cams are received. For this purpose, there may be releasable spring clips for engaging the aforesaid formations (e g. the grooves), andthe studs to position the latter.

f The studs may be provided with parts interlocking with'the bars to prevent detachment of the studs, and the bars may be locally reduced-in crosssection to permit the'passage of the inter- *locking parts in offering the studs to the chain, the studs being thereafter movable along the bars to produce the-interlock." For example, the studs 'may have a transverse slot of keyhole shape whichifpermits the passage of the reduced porlocking part consists of a protuberance with under-cut flanges capable of insertion between two adjacent bars only at the reduced portion thereof.

It is within the scope of the invention to produce the positive anchorage for the studs or cams by means of flanges on the bars or by means of distance pieces encircling the bars.

The foregoing and other features of the invention set out in the appended claims are incorporated in the chain which will now be described as an example with reference to the accompany ing drawings in which' I V Figure 1 is a plan of a portion of the chain.

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Figure 3 shows various components of the chain;

r V Figure 4 is an end elevation of a stud' or cam;

Figures 5 and G show two different forms of interlocking parts on the cams, while Figure '7 shows an alternative form of spring clip Figure 8 is a plan and Figure 9 is a sectional elevation illustrating a further mounting in which the studs are anchored to grooved bars by spring clips.

The chain illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2' consists of a succession of transverse parallel bars I,

hingedly connected in series at the margins of the chain by links hereinafter described. These bars I are of circularsection and at spaced in- "tervals in their length they are turned with narrow peripheral grooves or keyways 2 which serve for the location of studs indicated generally by the reference number 3. These grooves 2 are so arranged that they are disposed in parallel lines spaced apart across the Width of the chain and so provide alternative locations in the width of the chain for the studs 3. It may be mentioned that whereas the preferred construction, wherein each bar I is a solid unit complete in itself, is illustrated yet it is within the scope of the invention for each bar to consist of a long spindle (for engaging the chain links) and a sleeve surrounding it and formedwithlthe grooves 2. I

The studs 3 are arrangedto seat on the bars I and are located'by springclips whichfit in the 'either by slitting a solid block of metal, or'by folding a piece of. metal to U-shape, or by riveting or welding two or more pieces of metal together. The spring clip 5 is approximately of horse-shoe shape so that it may be pushed on to or drawn oil the bars, but in addition, each stud is arranged to interlock with at least one bar. In Fig. 5 the stud 3 at its under side has a protuberance 8 having its flanks undercut as at 9 so as to fit between two adjacent bars I and so as to provide an enlarged head which is too long to be withdrawn from between the bars. In the construction shown in Fig. 6, the underside of the stud is provided with a keyhole slot 10, the

throat of which is less in width than the'diam eter of the bar.

Such studs may be slid endwise on to the bars after the links at one edge of the chain have been removed, but it is preferred to provide each 7 bar with a reduced portion la at least at one of its ends, thereby permitting the passage of the enlarged head of the protuberance 8, Fig. 5, or permitting said reduced part la to pass through the throat of thekeyhole slot In, Fig. 6. The stud having thus been placed on. the chain, it may be moved endwise along the bars on to the full-diameter part thereof to produce the interlock, after which the spring clip 5 is inserted.

In the alternative arrangement shown as Fig. 7 the spring clip 7 consists of a piece of bent wire secured by fixing pin H in the stud, the said spring clip I having two legs I to engage the grooves 2 of two successive bars which are received in the apertures l'2. The apertures l2 may be keyhole slots resembling the slot II] in Fig. 6 so as to interlock with the bars, or they may be of a width equal to the full diameter of the bars. In this latter instance, the spring clip I has the double function of locking the stud in the width of the chain and of securing it to the chain.

In each of the constructions shown in Figs. 5-7, the method of stud attachment is such that it does not inhibit rotation of the bar or bars on which a stud is fixed and therefore does not restrict the flexibility of the chain.

In order that the chain may readily be built up to the desired length, the bars I are preferably connected at each margin by identical plate links I3, each of which is provided with a pair of spaced holes l4 so that it is removably transfixed by the ends of two successive bars I, the end of each bar rotatably transfixing at least two links. Furthermore, the links l3 are retained on the ends of the bars by means of removable spring clips 5 which are identical with the spring clips 5 employed for fastening the studs, the said spring clips 5 being received in grooves IS in the outer ends of the bars.

The studs 3 may have their corners chamfered as at 3', but Where two studs are arranged in line so as to form a cam or elevation of substantial length, one stud may have a'protruding end 3a to overlap the chamfered end 3' on the next stud.

Instead of the studs 3 being anchored by spring clips 5 located in clefts 4, two spring clips may be located one at each side of a stud as shown in Figures 8 and 9. In these figures the stud is of the elevational shape shown in Fig- -ure 5, thespring clips being as shown in Figure 3 and engaging the grooves 2.

It will be appreciated that the timing or pattern chain herein described and shown, has the advantages that it is constructed of interchangeable parts that are readily manufactured, the studs 3 are readily applied to or removed from the chain, they are positively keyed against displacement along the bars I their attachment to the bars is positive but does not restrict the flexibility of the chain, and the chain may readily be built up to, or shortened to, any desired length, while at the same time it is not liable to inadvertent disintegration.

I claim:

1. A timing or patterning chain, of the kind comprising a succession of transverse parallel bars hingedly connected in a series, and studs or cams on said bars having in combination, studs cleft lengthwise of the chain for the reception of spring clips, formations on the bars for engagement by the spring clips, and spring clip's received in the clefts of the studs and engaging the bars and preventing the removal of the studs and their endwise movement along the bars.

2. A timing or patterning chain, comprising a succession of transverse parallel bars hingedly connected in series at the margins of the chain, at least some of which bars have peripheral grooves at spaced locations in their lengths betweenmargins, studs or cams fitting on the bars and adjustable therealong to selected alternative positions, in the chain width, afforded by said grooves, and releasable spring clips engageable with said grooves to position the studs.

3. A timing or patterning chain of the kind comprising a succession of transverse parallel bars hingedly connected at each edge of the chain in a series, and studs or cams detachably mounted on the bars; having interengaging formations on the bars and on the studs for preventing, when engaged, the removal of the studs from the bars in a direction normal to the surface of the chain but capable of disengagement upon the studs-being shifted along the bars towards an edge of the chain, and spring clips releasably engaging the bars for preventing such movement of the studs. v I

4. A timing or patterning chain of the kind comprising a succession .of transverse parallel bars hingedly and detachably connected in a series at each edge of the chain by means of detachable links; having in combination local reductions in cross section on the bars, formations on the studs permitting the studs to be ofiered to the bars at said local reductions and thereafter moved along the bars to lock with the latter, and readily-detachable spring clips -for engaging the bars and the studs and for preventing movement of the studs from looking position.

5. A chain according to claim 4, wherein the aforesaid formation on each stud consists of a protuberanceof such width as to pass between the reduced parts of adjacent bars but not elsewhere in the length of said adjacent bars, which formation has undercut flanks for permitting the stud to be shifted along the bars, from said reduced parts, and for thereby producing an interlock. 1

6. A chain according to claim 3, incorporating studs each with a transverse slot of keyhole shape whereof the large part is of a size to accommodate a bar and the narrow part is of less width than the bar, and having the bars reduced locally in cross section to a size capable of pastachable plate links transfixed by the bars and connecting the latter in succession at both edges of the chain; spring clips for releasably posi- 5 tioning the links on the bars, studs or cams detachably mounted on the bars, and means for releasably securing the cams in position which means includes spring clips identical with those at the edges of the chain.

ARTHUR SHORTLAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

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